Sometime Around Midnight
by Melancholy Soundtrack
Summary: "And it starts, sometime around midnight. Or at least that's when you lose yourself for a minute or two." No copyright intended.


**Sometime Around Midnight**

WARNING: curse words, and sexual themes

_7:32 P.M... _

It was supposed to be just another night. Another night filled with trivial small-talk with the Fire Nation nobles, filled with insignificant dances with Earth Kingdom bachelorettes, and filled with enough booze that Zuko would not have to remember this irrelevant night in the morning. He would rise from his slumber, and garb himself in his Fire Lord robes, and proceed with a mass of guards to the door of his office, where he would read insignificant letters of complaint about something easily fixable without his interference, all the while wondering what happened to his life.

However, tonight was in no way insignificant. Far from it.

The Fire Nation royal observed the varying colors of the decorations throughout the ballroom, representing each of the four nations' symbolic insignias. His eyes swept over the servants who busily went about their work, whether ignoring him or unaware of his presence. The scents of various foods that would cause instant mouth-watering properties wafted from the kitchen into the ballroom, swaying to and fro, teasing and nipping at his nose. Zuko felt his stomach growl in complaint of malnourishment.

He shook his head slightly and continued watching the preparations for the third annual 'End of the War' ceremony. It had become a tradition among the now intermingling nations that royals and nobles would travel to the Fire Nation palace for a party of 'monumental proportions', as the new Earth King declared- meaning that more than half of the participants would end up drunk and in a stranger's bed.

Looking around in boredom at the lack of entertainment, Zuko decided that it was probably time to begin his grooming for the party. It was set to start at nine o'clock sharp and he had not even begun to get ready. Gliding gracefully from the room, Zuko ascended the first staircase he came to, navigating the hallways quickly until he came to a stop outside an elaborately decorated door with two stoic guards stationed in front of it. Zuko slid through the threshold immediately without taking notice of the guards.

_9:37 P.M…_

Zuko watched Sokka clumsily sway with his wife within his embrace as she stifled her giggles. The Water- Tribe man obviously did not know how to lead in a slow dance, and looked as though he had never once set foot on land as he kept stampeding over Suki's feet. Zuko himself had to stifle a laugh as he watched his friend.

Hakoda was going to relinquish his control as Chief of the Southern Water Tribe any day now to his son. Sokka was beginning the ascent into fatherhood, as Suki recently became pregnant and with the added responsibility of a tribe to lead, Sokka was feeling immensely protective and mature- words that Zuko never thought he would ever form with his tongue.

The shadows of the corner shrouded Zuko from the eyes of those on the dance floor as he observed the party that was continuing around him. He did not wish to be a part of the festivities- he would rather lurk in the shadows; prying, golden eyes scrutinizing the drunken participants of the party.

He found himself an ornately designed Fire Nation chair and lowered himself immediately into it, his hand instinctively lifting his half cup of blistering Fire Nation alcohol to his lips, the liquid burning as it made its descent into the bowels of his stomach. He liked the way it scorched down the sides of his esophagus, as though tiny claws were raking across the exposed flesh. Without pausing for a breath, Zuko upturned the cup and downed the rest of the liquid, his mind focusing, thank Agni, on nothing other than the slow and steady blaze that he felt moving its way into him- a pain that he was familiar with all too much.

_10:18 P.M… _

Zuko had been pried from his hiding spot by an Earth Kingdom girl of about the age of eighteen, giggling stupidly as she pushed her barely concealed breasts towards him, as if he would find them satisfying. Zuko was a man, a Fire Nation man no less (which entailed plenty of 'hot- and- bothered' moments for the young royal) but even he had to admit that he was not at all impressed with the girl. However, he decided that there was not anything to lose by sharing a dance with her, albeit maybe his sanity. He did not think he would enjoy contending with that heinous laugh.

His hand gripped her smaller one, and he led her out onto the dance floor, the lights low and music enveloping his body and mind. One hand continued to hold the Earth Kingdom girl's palm, and the other wound its way around her small waist.

She was much shorter than him, and he found that he rather liked that. He wouldn't have to look at her heavily makeup cloaked face; this dance was all for appearances anyway. If the Fire Lord was spotted not mingling with his guests or participating in the party in any way, it would shine poor light on him and his advisors.

"I'm Sora," she smiled, red painted lips lifting slightly, exposing two rows of perfectly white teeth. Her black hair was piled atop her head, a red flower positioned strategically towards the right- it was an obvious fact that she was from Ba Sing Se.

"It is nice to meet you, Sora," Zuko said as warmly as he could manage. He had learned to control his temper in the years following the war, and he was much more patient. However, he was still counting the beats until this dance would be over.

"I cannot imagine what the Fire Lord would want to do standing in a darkened corner all alone!" she declared, her jade green eyes twinkling as they raked over his form. Zuko squirmed internally as she did so- she wasn't the one he wanted fondly admiring him.

"Oh, you know- just watching to make sure my guests are happy," his answer sounded as though it had been pre-rehearsed, as it had been, but he could care less. Why did it matter if he stood alone? He never had enjoyed socializing at these things. It was one of his least favorite things.

"It just seems so strange—" the end of the song cut the girl's next sentence short, and Zuko immediately released her, something she noticed. She obviously was not receiving the reaction she had hoped for when she approached him in the shadows.

He bowed slightly towards her, and then turned on his heel, throwing out a, "It was nice to meet you Lora. And thanks for the dance." He ignored her huff of anger and her mumbled, "It is Sora, you dick."

_10: 47 P.M.… _

"Zuko are you even listening to me?" the avatar, Aang, asked, an annoyed frown marring his still quite childlike face. Although the boy was of the age of seventeen now, his boyish looks were still persevering through puberty, something that angered the usually calm avatar.

"Sorry, what?" Zuko asked, his face flushing slightly at his rudeness.

But Aang just smiled, and rolled his eyes, "Its okay. I was just wondering what your opinion was on whether or not I should ask that girl to dance." Zuko followed Aang's pointed finger, laughing internally as he noticed that it was positioned directly towards that dreadful Earth Kingdom girl he had danced with earlier. Stifling his amusement, Zuko looked at Aang's hopeful face, "I totally would, dude. She looks like a catch."

Aang's face practically lit up as he bounded across the ballroom towards Mora or whatever her name was until he decided that he had attracted quite a large amount of attention. He intentionally slowed down, gliding the rest of the way across the floor. Zuko shook his head, a smile gracing the usually rigid features of the Fire Lord.

He picked up yet another glass of the blistering alcohol that was native to the Fire Nation, and although he had been drinking the stuff for years, he could never acquire immunity to the scorching fire- like sensations that he experienced whenever he downed the liquid. Secretly, Zuko believed that was why he liked it so much- not for taste, or even for the super effective haziness and forgetfulness he received when he was drunk- he liked it because this pain, for a second, numbed the rest of him.

He upturned his fourth glass of the night, feeling slightly dizzy as he downed it, and relinquished whatever control he currently had left in him to the scorching of the fire.

_11:03 P.M…_

Zuko's fingers absently moved around the lip of his cup, lost in thought, as he listened to the music that wafted around him, the notes like tiny dancers swaying together in perfect synchronism. He wanted to leave, but the party had just gotten started.

Sighing, Zuko glanced up. And almost choked on his own saliva.

She was twirling around on the dance floor, garbed in the most beautiful, yet simple, white gown. Its hem caressed the floor slightly, and the bodice was encrusted with a long triangle of jewels. It was cinched slightly in the middle of her chest, accentuating her curves modestly, beautifully. She was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen.

Her waist- length coffee waves cascaded down her back freely, with only a small turquoise, bejeweled clip, that Zuko would later realize was her mother's betrothal necklace made anew, inlaid within those gorgeous tresses.

She was smiling, and laughing, and twirling in time with the notes of the music that caressed her body and guided her as she danced. She had always been a naturally talented dancer.

"_Katara…" Zuko growled playfully, his stomach tightening as he studied the material neatly laid out upon the table, "what the hell is this?" He demanded, his eyes furrowing as his index finger and thumb held up something that __**looked**__ like a shirt, but he wasn't entirely sure it was. It was white, and on the collar rested a hefty, drooping, jade colored tie. The sleeves were decked out in ruffles so hideous that Zuko admitted that he wanted to throw up. People __**wore **__these things? In public? The thought made the Fire Lord want to shiver. _

_Katara frowned at him, grabbing the shirt before Zuko could criticize it further. She rolled her eyes, "You have absolutely no admiration for the Earth Kingdom art of festival dancing, do you?"_

_He looked at her as though she had grown three heads within the last minute, "Come again?" was his response. _

_She rolled her eyes again, but a small smile rested on her lips, "You've got to be the worst Fire Lord ever," she teased, laughter causing her eyes to twinkle slightly, "you don't pay attention to any of the events that we go to!"_

_Zuko scoffed and feigned outrage, "What are you talking about? Of course I do!"_

_She laughed, "You are lying to yourself, my dear." she smirked at him. "Come on!" She whined, "at least put it on for me?"_

_Her snarled teasingly at her, and picked up the shirt-like thing once more, not bothering to hide his obvious disgust, as he pried his own simple crimson shirt off, revealing perfectly constructed, pale muscles. And he knew Katara's eyes were drinking in every part of his bare chest. He smirked to himself as he intentionally took longer than necessary to pull the shirt over his head. _

_He looked at her, "Are you happy? I look ridiculous." He frowned. _

_She giggled slightly and flipped his oversized bow into his face. His frown deepened. _

_She pulled him towards her and began instructing him on where to place his hands, and how to move his feet. He listened only barely, his eyes glued to her face, studying every crevice of her lovely face, wishing to lower his lips onto hers. But then they were swaying, his arm on her waist, the other holding her palm. She smiled at him again and his heart melted. _

"_See- you're a natural," she told him, depositing a kiss on his unsuspecting lips. _

As the music stopped, so did she. She curtsied slightly to her dance partner, giving him one of her radiant smiles, and hurried over towards the table of drinks, choosing one of the cobalt colored ones, probably the traditional drink of the Water Tribe. As she sipped lightly at the fizzing liquid, she spoke happily to Suki and Toph, laughing easily and freely. She had not laughed that easily during the war, and it had taken time for her to redevelop that desire to be effortlessly happy.

It had actually been him that had helped speed the process along.

_His fingers caressed her dark skin, smooth beneath his sensitive fingertips. Her head rested against his shoulder, her own fingers stroking the flesh of his scarred cheek. Never had he let another human being touch it, and he never would let anyone else but her. She was all that mattered. _

_She sighed contently against his neck, the exhalation of her breath sliding across his bare flesh, igniting his skin in goose bumps. She snuggled closer, her lips dropping feather- light kisses on the strong line of his jaw, following down the expanse of his neck, nibbling at his ear. It was perfect. His arms encircled her waist and he pulled her tighter against him. He always wanted her closer. _

_He felt her smile against his skin, and chuckle softly, almost silently, "What is it?" he whispered, fingers twining into her hair, gliding through the smooth tresses easily. _

_She shook her head and slightly arched her shoulder in a shrug. She pulled her face free from his neck so she could see him, her eyes glassy with unshed tears. The sight scared him- had he done something wrong? Before he could ask though, she entwined her fingers with his, studying their hands with a look of amazement. "Do you realize how happy you make me?" she asked, a smile in her voice, one lone tear spilling across her cheek. He caught it with his finger, and studied it inquisitively- still unsure as to why she was crying if she was happy. _

"_You make me happy too, Katara," he smiled tenderly at her, watching as another tear streaked across her cheek. He caught that one too. _

_She snuggled against him again, words not needed to express how they felt about one another. _

"_And to think you were the one to tie me to a tree…" Zuko's chest rumbled with laughter. _

Zuko had been lost in his thoughts, so he was unaware of the approach of the water- bender until it was too late to escape. When he finally became aware of his surroundings, she was mere inches from him, her breath blowing in his face, smelling of alcohol, as she spoke, "Hey Zuko." Was all she said, her words accompanied by a soft, sad smile.

Zuko internally panicked. He didn't know what to say to her. He couldn't form thoughts that even ventured upon remotely coherent. All he could focus on was the smell of her- filling his senses completely, blinding him, intoxicating him. He was helpless here with her.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Zuko managed a response, "H- Hey, Katara. How have you been?" His throat constricted as he spoke- he was choking on the smell of her.

She shrugged absently, her beautiful eyes glancing far off out onto the dance floor. Her hands fiddled with her drink. She moved it from one hand to the other, she moved her fingers around its lip, she sipped microscopic amounts from its still full capacity. She was nervous.

_She had knocked on his door in the middle of the night. She was dressed in a sheer nightgown, her underclothes shining like a beacon beneath it, and her words were rushed and frenzied, her eyes were wild with nervousness. _

"_Katara?" He rubbed his eyes of the minute amount of sleep his body had received- he had lain awake for hours, thinking of nothing but her. She was everything. _

"_I-I've been thinking Zuko," she stuttered. He awaited her to continue her sentence, but she didn't- instead she focused on her hands, wringing them anxiously. _

"_Katara- what's wrong?" he pulled her towards him, wrapping her in an embrace, his lips grazing the top of her head, depositing kisses periodically across her head. _

_She sighed against his chest, and glanced up at him, her eyes frightened, and vulnerable. He had only seen her give that look once before- beneath the catacombs of Ba Sing Se. Zuko tensed when he saw that look swimming in her eyes; it frightened __**him**__- Fire Lord, master fire- bender, rugged, don't- give- a- shit Zuko. It terrified him. _

"_Katara…" He trailed off, his eyes never leaving hers._

_She took another deep breath, "I'm ready Zuko." She whispered, her words not faltering despite her previous look of terror and worry. Her eyes were swimming with something new, something he couldn't quite place. _

"_Ready?" he repeated, believing she was speaking about the next morning's breakfast meal until his brain caught up to her words. When he realized what she meant, he almost choked. He pushed her away slightly, causing that look of terror and worry to reappear, only ten- times worse. "Katara, you- you couldn't have decided this already." His voice was hoarse. Why was he pushing her away? She said she wanted this. He had wanted this between them since he realized how much he loved her six weeks ago after a year of dating. He hadn't told her he loved her, and she hadn't said the words either but it was evident in the looks they bestowed upon one another when they were alone. _

"_Zuko- I __**have **__decided. I want this. I want this with __**you.**__ Only__you" Her words were firm, every syllable enlaced with the love that she wanted to prove to him that she held in her heart for him. _

_Zuko's body hummed with desire, his knees wobbled as she spoke. And with a groan he pulled her towards him, devouring her mouth with a burning passion he hadn't known that he had. Her arms encircled his back, her fingers stroking the bare flesh, raising goose-bumps as they trailed along his spine. _

_Feverishly, he pushed her back against his massive bed, red and gold sheets matted together chaotically across the vast expanse of the surface. His throat barely contained a growl as his hands stroked her thigh nimbly, his lips placing passionate kisses across the exposed skin of her neck. _

_Despite his manly urges, Zuko ceased his movement, and pulled away, ignoring the quiet, outraged sound that Katara made beneath him. "Before we go any farther, Katara," he mumbled huskily, "I need to know- are you sure? You have to be completely sure. I'm not going to take this from you even if you have the smallest doubt." _

_She smiled beautifully at him, her eyelids fluttering. She responded to his question with a deep kiss, her fingers laced together behind his neck. "I'm ready," she whispered, "I only want you. Forever." _

_And with that, their clothes gradually disappeared. His eyes drank her in, every last, beautiful curve of her. He had seen other naked women, but they could never compare to Katara. In body, mind, or soul they could never compare to her. _

_Katara studied him as well; never had she seen a naked man before and the body parts were foreign to her. She blushed in the dark as she stared, her eyes soon refocusing on his. She took a deep breath and pulled him flush against her bare chest, devouring his lips with hers, letting every worry, every doubt dissipate as they showed one another the love that inhabited every fiber of their beings. _

_ Afterwards, she lay against him, her body twisted into the multi- colored gold and red sheets. Her bare flesh grazed his, and she shivered as his fingers skimmed lightly across her back. Her eyes stared deeply into his, a look she had never seen before inhabiting the expanse of those beautiful molten irises. _

_ "You're so beautiful," he whispered into the dark, his words entwined with a passion she had never known before. He kissed her forehead tenderly; his fingers twined into her tangled hair, and he whispered against her skin, "I love you, Katara." _

He wanted to stay in that memory- that amazing night when they had proven their love for one another. He wanted to stay in the past, a year ago when she was his. And he was hers. But he was brought back to the present by her voice, resembling that of tinkling chimes, a beautiful, utterly pure sound. And his heart broke.

Because she wasn't his. Not at all.

"Zuko, this is Nidhi. We've been dating for about five months now." She gestured towards the man beside her, a man of Water- Tribe descent. His dark brown hair reached his shoulders, and his blue eyes expressed a deep respect for Zuko.

"Good evening Fire Lord," Nidhi said politely, offering the other man a smile, and a hand-shake. Zuko stared dumbly at the outstretched hand, unsure of what to do with it. Finally he raised his own paler hand slowly, and as though the action was in slow- motion, he brought it towards Nidhi's, shaking his hand weakly, his chest constricting. "It is such an honor to meet you." Nidhi said earnestly, smiling at Katara, "Kat has talked so much about you."

Katara blushed lightly and fiddled with her hair, trying to play off the fact that she had spoken about Zuko to her current lover. The Fire Lord watched her closely, but she didn't elaborate on Nidhi's words.

An awkward silence descended over the trio, and Zuko vowed that he was not going to break it. Not that he felt capable of speech at the moment.

"Well, I think we better get going," Nidhi declared in Katara's direction, taking her hand in his, his lips kissing each one of her fingers independently. Katara seemingly didn't notice. She was looking directly at Zuko.

_ She was yelling. _

_He was silent. _

_She was crying. _

_He was numb. _

"_What do you mean we can't get married?" Katara practically screamed. "Those damn assholes you have for advisors cannot decide this kind of decision for you Zuko!" _

_He was silent for a long time, staring out the window of his office, "They want me to marry Mai." _

_Her eyes swelled with tears, her mouth forming an 'O', as if she was about to speak, but nothing came out. She didn't know what to say. _

"_Do you want to marry Mai?" she whispered, and his heart broke when he heard the words. _

_He gathered her in his arms and pressed silent kisses to her hair. "Of course not," he whispered back. _

"_Are you going to fight for me?" _

_Silence. _

"_Zuko?" _

"_Katara- it's not that easy-" _

_She pulled away, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. "It may not be a simple act, but it's a simple question Zuko." _

_More silence. _

_She turned towards the window, her hand covering her mouth as more tears fell across her cheeks. He tried to comfort her, tried to pull her towards him, but she roughly pulled away, choking on a sob in the process. _

"_Well," she breathed in deeply, closing her eyes for a long time until she reopened them, her sadness replaced with something harder- she looked at him as though he was alien to her, "then I guess there's nothing left here for me." She finished, her voice on the brink of breaking by the end. She turned immediately from him, and bolted from the room. _

_More silence. Unending silence. _

"Yeah, I think now would probably be the time to head to my room," Katara stated to Nidhi, pulling free from his embrace. "The Gaang usually always stay at the Fire Nation palace after the party. We spend tomorrow together." She smiled at Nidhi.

"Oh yea, I think Sokka told me that. Well, I think that I'm going to go talk with your dad for a while Kat. I'll see you in the room later tonight?"

She smiled at him and nodded. He pulled her towards him in an embrace, and kissed her deeply. Zuko felt as though he was being strangled, slowly, painfully. He wanted to bolt from this spot at this very moment, but he held his ground. Mostly because his knees were still too weak for movement.

When they separated, Nidhi thanked Zuko for the 'magnificent party' and promptly left to find Hakoda. Zuko was left alone with Katara.

He was left alone with the woman he was still deeply, irrevocably, painfully in love with.

"_Are you not going to go after her?" Iroh asked him from the doorway to his office. _

_Zuko stood next to the window, watching as Katara's things were taken and placed on a boat that was headed back to the Southern Water Tribe. He was watching anxiously for her- she had been avoiding him for two weeks now. _

"_Zuko?" his uncle's voice was not harsh in any way, but completely and utterly disappointed. That emotion, that utter disappointment that twined his words together, would have been enough to send Zuko over the edge. That is, if he hadn't already been there, being brutally annihilated with his own pain. _

"_She's better off without me." He whispered lowly, his voice not able to mask the pain he felt, "She thinks that I'm enough. Enough to outweigh the ridicule of our people, enough to leave her home in order to live here… enough for her. I'm never- I've never been enough for her." _

_Iroh was silent for so long that Zuko thought he had left the room. Just when he was about to turn around, Iroh spoke, "If you think this is the right thing to do, Zuko, then you truly were __**not**__ enough for her." _

"I- I better head to bed," she stammered, "don't want to miss the breakfast gong." She laughed half-heartedly.

She began to turn and walk away, but before she did she looked over her shoulder and gave him another soft, sad smile, "Goodnight Zuko," she whispered.

And she was gone- hurrying towards the flight of stairs that would lead her to a series of hallways that she would use to navigate to her old room- even though when she lived here, she hardly ever spent the night in it.

Zuko didn't realize a tear had leaked out of his eye until he felt the water quiver on his chin. He wiped it away roughly and turned to see Sokka and Suki, both giving him a knowing look. Understanding, sadness, compassion- both sets of eyes staring at him. He looked away from them in annoyance. "What?" he spat.

"You didn't want her anymore," Suki stated, although it came out of her mouth sounding more like a question.

Zuko stared at her, his mouth pursed together tightly, "I loved her with every fiber of my being. I always did." And in a voice that was too low for either one of them to hear, he added, "And I always will."

He turned away from them and hurried up the stairs after her. He didn't think he was capable of enduring losing her again.

_He lay drunk and alone in his bed the first night after she left. It felt cold, unforgiving, as though it too missed the warmth that Katara brought to it. _

_He pulled the sheets around him tightly; he pulled them over his head as the memories came crashing back into him. _

_How she had opened up to him- only him- after the war._

_Their first kiss. _

_The first time they made love. _

_His eyes stung with unshed tears, and he gritted his teeth, occasionally biting into his cheek until he tasted metallic copper. _

_He wanted to believe that he had done the right thing; he wanted to believe he had done what Katara was too blinded to see. He was not any good for her. _

_But it didn't feel right. He felt empty. _

_Snarling, Zuko threw himself from his bed, his anger igniting within his core, the vat of pent- up frustration taking hold of him like a puppet, and he fire-bended his bed until flames were leaping across the entire expanse. _

_The servants and the guards were utterly horrified. _

_He blamed it on the excess alcohol. _

He was dizzy. All the shapes around him were hazy and blurred together into one immense concoction. He stumbled a few times as the alcohol coursed through his veins, guiding him towards her door. He was nothing more than a puppet again; a meager toy once more in the universe's fucked up game.

_Mai stared at him across her tea filled cup, the small basin painted with beautiful Fire Nation birds and multiple red designs. Her eyes were calculating, observing him in mute fascination. _

_Mai had never been one to beat around the bush, so her next words did not surprise him. "So you and the water- tribe girl broke up?" she asked, as though she was hardly interested, though her eyes spoke a different story. _

_Zuko nodded, his fingers tapping impatiently against his knee. He could not marry this girl. He wouldn't. And he was going to bring that fact to the attention of his advisors as soon as possible. They messed up his life enough without the aid of affecting his future marriage. _

"_Are you over her?" _

_Zuko stared at her, as though she was asking a question that any fool could have answered with minimal thought, "Not even a little bit." _

He pounded his fist on her door, not stopping until he heard the bolt unlock. Katara pulled the partition between her and the fire-bender open, her eyes wild and annoyed at the incessant banging against her door. That look immediately died when she saw that it was Zuko. Her throat went dry. Her heart stopped.

"Hey," he panted, unsure of what to say now that he was here. He just looked at her, taking in her form, now garbed in a light makeshift nightgown. The same one she had worn the first time he had made love to her. His throat constricted, and he blinked back tears.

"Zuko what do you want?" she mumbled.

"You," his voice broke, and he gripped her doorframe for support. "It's always been you, Katara."

She visibly gulped, trying to keep from shedding tears. "Zuko, I can't have this discussion with you right now…" her voice trailed off and she tried to close the door. He reached desperately for her, stopping the door mid- close.

She tried to look away, but his fingers gripped her chin, pulling her face back towards his, his eyes staring directly into her beautiful blue ones.

His face possessed the same beauty she had always known, despite the scar that marred half of his face. But his eyes were those of a broken man.

His life was in ruins. And he was looking at her like she possessed the capability of putting him back together again. And that frightened her.

They had always been weak for each other, and right then, in the hallway in front of Katara's room, was no exception. He gripped her as though his life depended on it, and in that moment, she had no doubt in her mind that it did.

So she gripped him back, her fingers fisted into his shirt, as though she believed that by doing so would make him stationary, unable to run, even emotionally, away from her again. She bit back her tears, until she just couldn't anymore. She pulled him towards her, sobbing into his shirt, mumbling _'I hate you's' _and _'you bastard's' _until she was too incoherent for him to understand anymore. He just held her- as he should have done a year ago instead of letting her go. He smoothed her hair, and whispered _'it'll be okay's' _and _'I'm right here's'. _

They had broken together. A year ago in Zuko's office, and again outside Katara's room.

Maybe they could put each other back together.

It is 12:02 A.M.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed! The title comes from the song "Sometime Around Midnight" by the Airborne Toxic Event. And if you choose to go and listen to this amazingly constructed song, you will notice that this entire story is centered around it. Bascially everything that happened in this story happened in the song. Sorry in advance for any mistakes! **

**-MS**


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